tractions than Thalia or Polyhymnia, or have you forgotten the epithets which Ennius beftows on Cethegus, the quinteffence of eloquence, and the flower of the people? Is there a man exifting who would not rather refemble Cicero, (whom I wish absolutely to make my model, both in the course of his life and ftudies,) than be like Varro, however learned, or Lucretius, however ingenious as a poet? If the ftudy of the law were really unpleafant and difgufting, which is far from the truth, the example of the wisest of the cients, and of Minerva herself, the goddess of wisdom and protectress of Athens, would justify me in preferring the fruitful and useful olive to the barren laurel.

an

To tell you my mind freely, I am not of a disposition to bear the

rank, to which poets and

arrogance of men of

men of letters are fo

often obliged to fubmit. Accept this friendly reply to your friendly expoftulation, and believe my affurances, that I entertain the higheft value for your esteem, of which I have received fo many proofs. I most anxiously ex

pect your differtation. May the Almighty profper your labours, and particularly your laborious task of Meidani! May the most learned Scheidius perfevere with resolution in completing the gigantic work, which he meditates! I admire his moft laudable induftry; but after the fate of Meninfki, (I do not fpeak of his works, but of his fortunes) no prudent man (for he that is not wife to himself, is wise to no end) will venture to expofe his veffel to the perils of fhipwreck in fo uncertain a fea. The work is worthy of a king, but the expense of it will require the revenue of a king.

My mother and fifter cordially unite with me in congratulations on your marriage, and I beg you to make my compliments to your amiable confort, and moft refpectable father. I thank you for your invitation to Amfterdam, and affure you that

happy to avail myself of it.

I fhould be moft

In

In your fociety,

I fhould prefer a winter in Holland to the gardens of the Hefperides, nor indulge a wish for the vales of Tempè, but my legal occu

pations make the fummer more convenient for travelling. I promise you therefore to pass fome time with you in the July, guft, of the next or following year.

Au

I rejoice to find you pleafed with Jofeph the Syrian, and equally fo that he means to travel through Germany. His history is fomewhat long. If I had not exerted myself in my application to fome men of rank in London, who have accefs to the King, he must have passed a life of mifery here, or have died most wretchedly.

The bookfeller keeps for you the books which you defired to purchase. You cannot as yet have received a fhort letter which I wrote to you in July, and fent by a young gentleman of the name of Campbell. The fon of the king of Spain, Prince Gabriel, did me the honour to fend me a most splendid copy of his Salluft, for which I returned my grateful acknowledgments.

You have doubtlefs heard of the travels of Mr. Bruce, a native of Scotland, into Syria, Arabia, Abyffinia, Nubia, and Egypt. He is

as well acquainted with the coaft of the Red Sea, and the fources of the Nile, as with his own house. He has brought with him some Æthiopic manuscripts, and amongst them the Prophecies of Enoch, an ancient book, but to be ranked only with the Sibylline oracles.

Whilft I was writing this letter, a perfon called upon me with a manufcript, which he had received at Venice from Mr. Montague, a man of family. I immediately perceived it to be a most beautiful and correct copy of Motanabbi, with a letter addreffed to myself in Arabic verse, from fome perfon named Abdurrahman, whom Mr. Montague had probably seen in Afia. I owe great obligations to the politeness of the learned Arab, but I by no means think myself worthy of his exaggerated encomiums;-but you know the pompous style of the Orientals. Do not fuppofe that I have any present intention of reading the poems of Motanabbi; that must be referved for Oxford, when I have leisure to attend to this, and my other treasures of the fame kind. Believe my affurance, that I

entertain the highest esteem for you,

and that

nothing will give me greater pleasure than to hear from you frequently and at length. Take care of your health, and continue

for me.

your regard

Mr. HOWARD to Mr. JONES.

SIR,

Paris, September 13, 1774.

As my stay here may be confiderably longer than I at first proposed, it is a duty incumbent on me to acquit myself of a charge committed to my care in the month of June laft by Mr. Montague, at Venice, by tranfmitting to you the manuscript which accompanies this letter. I fhould indeed have fent it to you much fooner, but the hopes I had of an earlier return to England, was the cause of my postponing it, that I might myself have had the pleasure of delivering it, which I flattered myself might have ferved as an introduction to the honour of your acquaintance, a happiness which, without compliment, I have long been very ambitious of. But as ny affairs are likely to detain me fome time